Work supporting apparatus and work supporting system

ABSTRACT

A work supporting apparatus includes: a visible light camera (visible light image photographing unit) configured to photograph a visible light image; a far-infrared camera (thermal image photographing unit) configured to photograph a thermal image; a work progress status determining unit configured to determine a work progress status from the visible light image photographed by the visible light camera and the thermal image photographed by the far-infrared camera; and a display configured to display a determination result of the work progress status.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a work supporting apparatus and a worksupporting system.

BACKGROUND ART

In recent years, work efficiency is improved by using a portableinformation terminal in a maintenance work of apparatuses or facilities.According to such a portable information terminal, a worker takes inwork information into the portable information terminal in advance. Thismakes it possible for the worker to obtain necessary information bydisplaying the work information on a screen during the work.

However, the worker is required to work while watching the screen withthe portable information terminal in his or her hand. The work becomescomplicated in such a state. The work efficiency may actually belowered. Therefore, a work supporting apparatus capable of providing theworker with information without picking up the portable informationterminal has been proposed.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a work supporting apparatusthat uses a head-mounted type display called as a head mounted displayand provides a worker with information regarding a work. By using such ahead mounted display, the worker is not required to hold the portableinformation terminal in his or her hand, and this makes it possible toimplement the work efficiently.

Further, Patent Document 1 also discloses a work supporting apparatusthat includes a visible light photographing unit and an infraredphotographing unit; displays a visible ray image photographed by thevisible light photographing unit and an infrared ray image photographedby the infrared photographing unit on the head mounted display; detectsa component around which temperature is abnormal from componentsdetected from the visible ray image and a temperature distribution imageobtained from the infrared ray image; and notifies the worker of theabnormality through the head mounted display.

RELATED ART DOCUMENTS Patent Documents

Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No.2010-197153

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

In the meantime, Patent Document 1 merely discloses a method ofdetecting a component that becomes abnormal temperature. However, amethod of notifying the worker of a progress status of the work has notbeen considered. For this reason, it may be difficult for the worker tograsp the progress status of the work even though the work supportingapparatus is used.

Thus, it is an object of the present invention to provide a worksupporting apparatus and a work supporting system capable of notifying aworker of a progress status of a work.

Means for Solving the Problem

An outline of representative invention of the present inventiondisclosed in the present application will briefly be explained asfollows.

A work supporting apparatus according to a representative embodiment ofthe present invention includes: a visible light image photographing unitconfigured to photograph a visible light image; a thermal imagephotographing unit configured to photograph a thermal image; a workprogress status determining unit configured to determine a work progressstatus from the visible light image photographed by the visible lightimage photographing unit and the thermal image photographed by thethermal image photographing unit; and a display configured to display adetermination result of the work progress status.

Effects of the Invention

Effects obtained by representative invention of the present inventiondisclosed in the present application will briefly be explained asfollows.

Namely, according to the representative embodiment of the presentinvention, it is possible to provide a work supporting apparatus capableof notifying a worker of a progress status of a work.

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one example of a configuration of awork supporting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a flowchart diagram showing one example of an operation of awork progress status determining unit according to the first embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a view showing one example of an image that is displayed on adisplay in accordance with a work progress status;

FIG. 4 is a view showing one example of a form of the work supportingapparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a view showing one example of a configuration of a headmounted display according to the first embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart diagram showing one example of an operation of awork progress status determining unit according to a second embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a view showing one example of an image that is displayed on adisplay in accordance with a work progress status;

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing one example of a configuration of awork supporting system according to a third embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing one example of a configuration of awork supporting system according to a fourth embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described indetail with respect to the drawings. Note that in all drawings forexplaining the embodiments, the same reference numeral is assigned tomembers each having the same function, and repeated explanation isomitted. Further, hatching may be applied to even a plan view in orderto make the drawings to be understood easily.

Moreover, in embodiments described below, the invention will bedescribed in a plurality of sections or embodiments when required as amatter of convenience. However, these sections or embodiments are notirrelevant to each other unless otherwise stated, and the one relates tothe entire or a part of the other as a modification example, details, ora supplementary explanation thereof.

Further, in the embodiments described below, in a case of referring tothe number of elements (including number of pieces, values, amount,range, and the like), the number of the elements is not limited to aspecific number unless otherwise stated or except the case where thenumber is apparently limited to a specific number in principle, and thenumber larger or smaller than the specified number may also beapplicable.

Further, in the embodiments described below, it goes without saying thatthe components (including element steps and the like) are not alwaysindispensable unless otherwise stated or except the case where thecomponents are apparently indispensable in principle.

Further, in the embodiments described below, it goes without saying thatwith respect to components and the like, the language “consist of A”,“make up by A”, “have A”, or “include A” does not exclude the othercomponents than A except for the case where it is expressly indicated tobe only the component particularly. Similarly, in the embodimentsdescribed below, when the shape of the components, positional relationthereof, and the like are mentioned, the substantially approximate andsimilar shapes and the like are included therein unless otherwise statedor except the case where it is conceivable that they are apparentlyexcluded in principle. The same goes for the numerical value, the rangeand the like described above.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing one example of a configuration of awork supporting apparatus according to a first embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 1, a work supporting apparatus 150 includesa visible light camera 101 as a visible light photographing unit, afar-infrared camera 103 as a thermal image photographing unit, a worktarget region extracting unit 102, a temperature distribution imagegenerator 104, a work target region temperature calculator 105, a workprogress status determining unit 106, and a display 107.

The visible light camera 101 is connected to the work target regionextracting unit 102. The work target region extracting unit 102 isconnected to the visible light camera 101 and the work target regiontemperature calculator 105. The far-infrared camera 103 is connected tothe temperature distribution image generator 104. The temperaturedistribution image generator 104 is connected to the far-infrared camera103 and the work target region temperature calculator 105. The worktarget region temperature calculator 105 is connected to the work targetregion extracting unit 102, the temperature distribution image generator104 and the work progress status determining unit 106. The work progressstatus determining unit 106 is connected to the work target regiontemperature calculator 105 and the display 107.

The visible light camera 101 is configured to photograph a visible lightimage of a work target region or a peripheral region thereof, forexample, and output the photographed visible light image to the worktarget region extracting unit 102.

The work target region extracting unit 102 is configured to extract thework target region from the visible light image. For example, dataregarding work content are stored in the work target region extractingunit 102. By comparing data for specifying the work target region withthe visible light image, the work target region extracting unit 102extracts the work target region from the visible light image. Fordetails, the work target region extracting unit 102 carries out imageprocessing for the visible light image, thereby specifying a shape and asize of an object in the visible light image, and referring to a shapeand a size of a work target object registered in advance. Thus, the worktarget region extracting unit 102 extracts the work target region forwhich temperature measurement is carried out from the photographedvisible light image.

The far-infrared camera 103 is configured to photograph a thermal imageof the work target region and the peripheral region thereof, forexample, and output the photographed thermal image to the temperaturedistribution image generator 104.

It is preferable that the visible light camera 101 and the far-infraredcamera 103 are adjusted so that a photographing region of thefar-infrared camera 103 substantially becomes equivalent to aphotographing region of the visible light camera 101, for example.

The temperature distribution image generator 104 is configured togenerate a temperature distribution image from the thermal imagephotographed by the far-infrared camera 103. For example, thetemperature distribution image generator 104 converts the thermal imagephotographed by the far-infrared camera 103 into a visible light imageto generate the temperature distribution image. In the temperaturedistribution image, different color is displayed for each temperaturerange. For example, in the temperature distribution image, a lowtemperature range is displayed by blue, a middle temperature range isdisplayed by yellow, and a high temperature range is displayed by red.

The work target region temperature calculator 105 is configured tocalculate a work temperature of the work target region extracted by thework target region extracting unit 102 on the basis of the visible lightimage and the temperature distribution image generated by thetemperature distribution image generator 104. For example, the worktarget region temperature calculator 105 compares the visible lightimage with the temperature distribution image with respect to the worktarget region extracted by the work target region extracting unit 102,which is a target of temperature measurement, whereby the work targetregion in the temperature distribution image is specified andtemperature of the work target region is calculated.

The work progress status determining unit 106 is configured to determinea work progress status on the basis of the work temperature of the worktarget region, which is calculated by the work target region temperaturecalculator 105. For example, the work progress status determining unit106 determines the work progress status on the basis of the worktemperature of the work target region and a work time against the worktarget region. Specifically, the work progress status determining unit106 starts to measure the work time when temperature of the work targetregion reaches a predetermined work temperature set in advance orhigher, and determines the measured work progress status on the basis ofthe work time and a predetermined work time set in advance.

A data storage (not shown in the drawings) is provided in the workprogress status determining unit 106, for example. Various kinds of dataregarding the work content, the predetermined work temperature for eachwork target region, the predetermined work time, the image to bedisplayed on the display 107, and the like, and a control program andthe like related to control of each unit that constitutes the worksupporting apparatus 150 such as the work progress status determiningunit 106 may be stored in the data storage. Further, the data storagemay be provided in the other component that constitutes the worksupporting apparatus 150, or may be provided independently.

Here, a series of operations related to determination of a work progressstatus carried out by the work progress status determining unit 106 willbe described in detail. FIG. 2 is a flowchart diagram showing oneexample of an operation of the work progress status determining unitaccording to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is aview showing one example of an image that is displayed on the display inaccordance with the work progress status.

Hereinafter, an operation of the work progress status determining unitwill be described by exemplifying a work to heat a work target region.Further, a heating work is implemented by work equipment (not shown inthe drawings), for example.

At Step S11, the work progress status determining unit 106 first sets awork time to “0” (counter=0). Such a step is provided because a worktime that is measured in a work implemented before this timing is to bereset. When the work progress status determining unit 106 resets thework time, the work progress status determining unit 106 shifts to StepS12.

At Step S12, the work progress status determining unit 106 compares awork temperature (Temp_target) of a work target region calculated by thework target region temperature calculator 105 with a predetermined worktemperature (Temp_set) set in advance. The work progress statusdetermining unit 106 reads out the predetermined work temperature(Temp_set) corresponding to work content from a data storage (not shownin the drawings), for example. In a case where the work temperature ofthe work target region is lower than the predetermined work temperature,that is, the work temperature of the work target region does not reachthe predetermined work temperature (Temp_target<Temp_set) as a result ofcomparison of these temperatures, the work progress status determiningunit 106 determines that a work progress status thereof is 0%, andshifts to Step S13 (the determination result is “No”).

At Step S13, the work progress status determining unit 106 reads outdata regarding an image, which indicates to the display 107 that theprogress status is 0%, from the data storage (not shown in thedrawings), and outputs the data thud read out to the display 107. Animage regarding a determination result as shown in FIG. 3(a) isdisplayed on the display 107 on the basis of the data outputted from thework progress status determining unit 106, for example. Further,otherwise, as shown in FIG. 3(a), an image that indicates a status orthe like of the work target region in addition to the determinationresult may be displayed on the display 107, for example. When such animage is displayed on the display 107, the work progress statusdetermining unit 106 shifts to Step S12 again. Therefore, the workprogress status determining unit 106 repeatedly carries out Steps S12 toS13 until the work temperature of the work target region reaches thepredetermined work temperature.

On the other hand, in a case where it is determined at Step S12 that thework temperature of the work target region is higher than thepredetermined work temperature, that is, the work temperature of thework target region reaches the predetermined work temperature(Temp_target≥Temp_set), the work progress status determining unit 106shifts to Step S14 (the determination result is “Yes”).

At Step S14, the work progress status determining unit 106 starts tomeasure (counter++) the work time (counter). As a method of measuringthe work time, for example, the work time is counted up in apredetermined cycle, and the work time is replaced with the number ofcounts, whereby the work time may be measured. The work time may bemeasured by directly measuring the time. In a case where the work timeis measured by the counts, a predetermined work time (will be describedlater) is also expressed by the number of counts. When measurement ofthe work time is started, the work progress status determining unit 106shifts to Step S15.

At Step S15, the work progress status determining unit 106 compares thework time (counter) with a predetermined work time required for the work(counter_set). The work progress status determining unit 106 reads outthe predetermined work time (counter_set) corresponding to the workcontent from a data storage (not shown in the drawings), for example. Ina case where the work time is shorter than the predetermined work time(counter<counter_set) as a result of comparison of these times, the workprogress status determining unit 106 shifts to Step S16 (thedetermination result is “No”).

At Step S16, the work progress status determining unit 106 determines awork progress status on the basis of the work time (counter) and thepredetermined work time (counter_set). Specifically, the work progressstatus determining unit 106 concretely calculates a numerical valueindicating the work progress status by using the following formula “workprogress status=counter/(counter_set)×100(%)”. Further, when the workprogress status is calculated, the work progress status determining unit106 reads out data regarding an image indicating “during the work” froma data storage (not shown in the drawings), and outputs the data thusreadout to the display 107. An image regarding a determination result asshown in FIG. 3(b), that is, a concrete numerical value of the workprogress status is displayed on the display 107 on the basis of the dataoutputted from the work progress status determining unit 106, forexample. Further, otherwise, as shown in FIG. 3(b), an image indicatinginformation on a remaining time to work completion and the like inaddition to the determination result may be displayed on the display107, for example. When such an image is displayed on the display 107,the work progress status determining unit 106 shifts to Step S14 again,and carries out the process related to Steps S14, S15. Namely, since thework progress status is less than 100% herein, the work progress statusdetermining unit 106 returns to Step S14 again. Therefore, the workprogress status determining unit 106 repeatedly carries out these StepsS14 to S16 until the work time reaches the predetermined work time andthe work progress status thereby becomes 100%.

On the other hand, in a case where it is determined at Step S15 that thework time is equal to or longer than the predetermined work time(counter≥counter_set) as a result of comparison of these times, the workprogress status determining unit 106 determines that the work for thework target region is completed, and shifts to Step S17 (thedetermination result is “Yes”).

At Step S17, the work progress status determining unit 106 reads outdata regarding an image indicating that the work is completed from adata storage (not shown in the drawings), and outputs the data thus readout to the display 107. An image regarding a determination result asshown in FIG. 3(c), that is, an image indicating that the work progressstatus is 100% is displayed on the display 107 on the basis of the dataoutputted from the work progress status determining unit 106, forexample. Further, otherwise, as shown in FIG. 3(c), an image indicatingthat the work is completed may be displayed on the display 107 inaddition to the determination result, for example. When the imageindicating that the work for the work target region is completed isdisplayed on the display 107, the work progress status determining unit106 terminates the series of operations related to the determination ofthe work progress status.

As described above, the display 107 receives an input of data on theimage regarding the determination result of the work progress statusoutputted from the work progress status determining unit 106 and thelike, and displays thereon various kinds of images on the basis of theinputted data. Any of various kinds of display panels such as a liquidcrystal panel, an organic EL (electroluminescence) panel, or a so-calledelectronic paper is used as the display 107, for example.

Each of the work target region extracting unit 102, the temperaturedistribution image generator 104, the work target region temperaturecalculator 105, and the work progress status determining unit 106 may berealized by different hardware or software. Further, these componentsmay be realized all in one piece of hardware, or may be realized all inone piece of software. Alternatively, these components may be realizedin the other component.

Here, one example of a configuration of the work supporting apparatus150 will be described. FIG. 4 is a view showing one example of a form ofthe work supporting apparatus according to the first embodiment of thepresent invention. FIG. 5 is a view showing one example of aconfiguration of a head mounted display according to the firstembodiment of the present invention.

The display 107 of the work supporting apparatus 150 is provided in ahead mounted display 120, for example, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5. Asshown in FIG. 4, the visible light camera 101, the far-infrared camera103, and the like are attached to the head mounted display 120, forexample. As shown in FIG. 4, the visible light camera 101 and thefar-infrared camera 103 may be attached in the vicinity of the display107, for example, or may be attached to a helmet for work that is to beworn by a worker 190 or the like. Note that in FIG. 4, the work targetregion extracting unit 102, the temperature distribution image generator104, the work target region temperature calculator 105, the workprogress status determining unit 106 and the like are not displayed.However, a control unit including these components may be provided by aseparate body, for example, and the control unit may be connected toeach of the visible light camera 101, the far-infrared camera 103, thedisplay 107, and the like.

The head mounted display 120 is a spectacle type display apparatus thatthe worker 190 wears on his or her head. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5,the head mounted display 120 includes a frame 121, temples 122, 123, apad 124, the display 107, and the like.

The frame 121 is a member for supporting the display 107. The temple 122is connected to a right end portion of the frame 121 when viewed fromthe worker 190 who wears the work supporting apparatus 150, and isextended toward the rear of the worker 190. The temple 123 is connectedto a left end portion of the frame 121 when viewed from the worker 190who wears the work supporting apparatus 150, and is extended toward therear of the worker 190.

When the head mounted display 120 is worn by the worker 190, as shown inFIG. 4, the pad 124 is mounted on a nose 191 of the worker 190, and eachof the temples 122, 123 abuts on a corresponding temporal region and ear(not shown in the drawings) of the worker 190, whereby the head mounteddisplay 120 is supported on the head of the worker 190. Then, thedisplay 107 is arranged in front of eyes of the worker 190. The worker190 is allowed to view an image displayed on the display 107 withoutusing his or her one hand or both hands, whereby it is possible for theworker 190 to obtain information necessary for the work.

FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 show the case where the two displays 107 areimplemented in the head mounted display 120. However, the presentinvention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, thedisplay 107 may be provided at only one of right and left lenses.

The display 107 may be configured so as to be attached to spectaclelenses used by the worker 190, for example, or may be configured to bestuck to goggles for work or the spectacle lenses, for example.

According to the present embodiment, the work progress statusdetermining unit 106 determines the work progress status on the basis ofthe visible light image photographed by the visible light camera 101 andthe thermal image photographed by the far-infrared camera 103, and thedetermination result is displayed on the display 107.

According to this configuration, the worker 190 can watch or view thedetermination result of the work progress status displayed on thedisplay 107. Therefore, it is possible to notify the worker of aprogress status of the work.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the work target regiontemperature calculator 105 calculates the work temperature of the worktarget region from the work target region extracted by the work targetregion extracting unit 102 and the temperature distribution imagegenerated by the temperature distribution image generator 104; the workprogress status determining unit 106 determines the work progress statuson the basis of the calculated work temperature and the work timeagainst the work target region; and the determination result of the workprogress status is displayed on the display 107.

According to this configuration, the work progress status is determinedon the basis of the work temperature and the work time. Therefore, it ispossible to improve accuracy of the work.

Further, according to the present embodiment, in a case where the workto heat the work target region is carried out, the work progress statusdetermining unit 106 starts to measure the work time when temperature ofthe work target region reaches the predetermined work temperature set inadvance or higher, and determines the work progress status on the basisof the measured work time and the predetermined work time set in advanceuntil the work is completed.

According to this configuration, in a case where the temperature of thework target region is lower than the predetermined work temperature, thework time for the work is not counted. Therefore, it is possible tofurther improve accuracy of the work.

Further, according to the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3(a) toFIG. 3(c), the image of the status or the like of the work targetregion, the image of the remaining time to the work completion or thelike, the image indicating that the work is completed, and the like aredisplayed on the display 107 in addition to the determination result ofthe work progress status. According to this configuration, the worker190 is allowed to obtain additional information regarding the worktarget region. Therefore, it is possible to grasp the work progressstatus in more detail.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the work target regionextracting unit 102 extracts the work target region from the visiblelight image photographed by the visible light camera 101; thetemperature distribution image generator 104 generates the temperaturedistribution image from the thermal image photographed by thefar-infrared camera 103; and the work target region temperaturecalculator 105 calculates the work temperature of the work target regionon the basis of the work target region and the temperature distributionimage. According to this configuration, since the temperature of thework target region is accurately calculated, it is possible to improveaccuracy of the work.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the visible light camera101 and the far-infrared camera 103 are adjusted so that thephotographing region of the far-infrared camera 103 substantiallybecomes equivalent to the photographing region of the visible lightcamera 101. According to this configuration, comparison of the visiblelight image and the temperature distribution image becomes easy, andthis makes it possible to calculate the work temperature of the worktarget region more accurately. Further, this makes it possible toimprove accuracy of the work.

Further, according to the present embodiment, the display 107 isprovided in the head mounted display 120. According to thisconfiguration, the worker 190 wears the head mounted display 120 on thehead, whereby the display 107 is arranged in front of the eyes of theworker 190. Therefore, it is possible for the worker 190 to obtain thedetermination result of the work progress status without using the bothhands.

Second Embodiment

Next, a second embodiment according to the present invention will bedescribed. In a work supporting apparatus according to the presentembodiment, in a case where a plurality of works is implemented, a workprogress status determining unit 106 determines a work progress statusof a next work after one work is completed. For example, when a workprogress status of the one work reaches 100%, work content at a nextstep is displayed on a display 107, the work progress status determiningunit 106 starts to determine the work progress status of the next work.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart diagram showing one example of an operation of awork progress status determining unit according to the second embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 7 is a view showing one example of animage that is displayed on a display in accordance with the workprogress status.

Operations of the work progress status determining unit 106 at Steps S11to S17 among these are the same as those in the first embodiment.Therefore, detailed explanation thereof is omitted.

At Step S17, as shown in FIG. 3(c), when an image indicating that a workfor a work target region is completed, for example, an image indicatingthat a work progress status thereof reaches 100% is displayed on thedisplay 107, the work progress status determining unit 106 shifts toStep S28 shown in FIG. 6. At Step S28, the work progress statusdetermining unit 106 determines whether there is a next work or not. Forexample, the work progress status determining unit 106 reads out dataregarding work content from a data storage (not shown in the drawings),and determines whether there is a next work or not by being comparedwith the completed work content. In a case where it is determined thatthere is a next work, the work progress status determining unit 106shifts to Step S29 (the determination result is “No”).

At Step S29, the work progress status determining unit 106 reads outdata regarding an image indicating that it shifts to the next work froma data storage (not shown in the drawings), for example, and outputs thedata thus read out to the display 107. As shown in FIG. 7(a), the imageindicating that it shifts to the next work is displayed on the display107 on the basis of the data outputted from the work progress statusdetermining unit 106, for example. Further, otherwise, as shown in FIG.7(a), an image indicating concrete content of a next work, and the likemay be displayed on the display 107 in addition to the image indicatingthat it shifts to the next work, for example. Further, the work progressstatus determining unit 106 reads out a predetermined work temperature(Temp_set) and a predetermined work time (counter_set) corresponding tothe next work content from a data storage (not shown in the drawings),for example, and updates data regarding the predetermined worktemperature and the predetermined work time. When these operations arecarried out, the work progress status determining unit 106 shifts toStep S11, and carries out determination of the work progress statusregarding the next work content.

On the other hand, in a case where it is determined at Step S28 thatthere is no next work, the work progress status determining unit 106shifts to Step S30 (the determination result is “Yes”). At Step S30, thework progress status determining unit 106 reads out data regarding animage indicating that all of the works are completed from a data storage(not shown in the drawings), for example, and outputs the data thus readout to the display 107. As shown in FIG. 7(b), the image indicating thatall of the works are completed is displayed on the display 107 on thebasis of the data outputted from the work progress status determiningunit 106, for example. Further, otherwise, as shown in FIG. 7(b),concrete instruction content to the worker 190 after the works areterminated may be displayed on the display 107, for example. When theimage indicating that all of the works are completed is displayed on thedisplay 107, the work progress status determining unit 106 terminatesthe series of operations related to the determination of the workprogress status.

According to the present embodiment, the work progress statusdetermining unit 106 automatically implements determination of a workprogress status of a next work after one work is completed, and the workprogress status of the next work is displayed on the display 107.According to this configuration, even in a case where a plurality ofworks is continuously implemented, the determination result regardingthe progress status of the work is displayed automatically. Therefore,it is possible to omit an operation to implement determination of a workprogress status for each work, and this makes it possible to improvework efficiency drastically.

Third Embodiment

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Inthe present embodiment, a work supporting system that consists of a worksupporting apparatus and work equipment by which a worker carries out awork such as heating will be described.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing one example of a configuration of thework supporting system according to the third embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 8, a work supporting system 200 includes awork supporting apparatus 250 and work equipment 260. The worksupporting apparatus 250 includes a visible light camera 101 as avisible light photographing unit, a far-infrared camera 103 as a thermalimage photographing unit, a work target region extracting unit 102, atemperature distribution image generator 104, a work target regiontemperature calculator 105, a work progress status determining unit 106,a display 107, and a proper temperature database 251. The work equipment260 includes a temperature controller 261 and a temperature generator262.

The proper temperature database 251 of the work supporting apparatus 250is connected to the work progress status determining unit 106. The workprogress status determining unit 106 is connected to the propertemperature database 251 and the temperature controller 261 of the workequipment 260. The work progress status determining unit 106 and thetemperature controller 261 are connected to each other by electricalwiring such as a cable, for example. Herewith, the work supportingapparatus 250 is connected to the work equipment 260. The temperaturecontroller 261 is connected to the work progress status determining unit106 and the temperature generator 262. Among these components, thevisible light camera 101, the far-infrared camera 103 as the thermalimage photographing unit, the work target region extracting unit 102,the temperature distribution image generator 104, the work target regiontemperature calculator 105, and the display 107 have been explained inthe first embodiment. Therefore, detailed explanation thereof isomitted.

The proper temperature database 251 is configured to retain informationregarding a proper temperature of a work target region at the time of awork therein. The proper temperature database 251 may retain informationregarding a proper temperature of each of a plurality of works therein,for example, or may retain information regarding a proper temperatureupdated for each work therein.

The work progress status determining unit 106 determines a work progressstatus as described above. Further, the work progress status determiningunit 106 is configured to calculate a difference between the worktemperature of the work target region and the proper temperature readout from the proper temperature database 251, and output the differenceto the temperature controller 261 of the work equipment 260 asdifference temperature information.

The temperature controller 261 is configured to carry out temperaturecontrol on the basis of the difference temperature information outputtedfrom the work progress status determining unit 106. For example, in acase where it is determined that the work temperature of the work targetregion is lower than the proper temperature on the basis of thedifference temperature information, the temperature controller 261implements control to raise the work temperature. For details, thetemperature controller 261 implements control to cause the temperaturegenerator 262 to raise a temperature of the temperature generator 262.Specifically, the temperature controller 261 increases an amount ofcurrent to be supplied to a temperature adjusting member such as aheater (not shown in the drawings) or the like, which constitutes thetemperature generator 262, for example. This causes the work temperatureof the work target region to be raised. At that time, the work progressstatus determining unit 106 may cause the display 107 to display animage indicating that temperature of the work equipment 260 is raised.

On the other hand, in a case where it is determined that the worktemperature of the work target region is higher than the propertemperature on the basis of the difference temperature information, thetemperature controller 261 implements control to suppress the worktemperature from being raised. For details, the temperature controller261 implements control to cause the temperature generator 262 tosuppress the temperature of the temperature generator 262 from beingraised. Specifically, the temperature controller 261 reduces the amountof current to be supplied to the heater or the like, for example. Thiscauses rise in the work temperature to be suppressed. At that time, thework progress status determining unit 106 may cause the display 107 todisplay an image indicating that the rise in the temperature of the workequipment 260 is suppressed thereon.

Further, in a case where it is determined that the work temperature ofthe work target region is too high compared with the proper temperatureon the basis of the difference temperature information, the temperaturecontroller 261 may implement control to reduce the work temperature. Fordetails, the temperature controller 261 implements control to cause thetemperature generator 262 to reduce the temperature of the temperaturegenerator 262. Specifically, the temperature controller 261 furtherreduces the amount of current to be supplied to the heater or the like,for example. Alternatively, the temperature controller 261 temporarilystops current supply to the heater or the like. This causes the worktemperature to be reduced. At that time, the work progress statusdetermining unit 106 may cause the display 107 to display an imageindicating that the temperature of the work equipment 260 is reducedthereon.

The temperature controller 261 may be realized by hardware, or may berealized by software. Further, the temperature controller 261 may berealized in hardware or software for any of the other components.

According to the present embodiment, for example, the temperaturecontroller 261 controls the amount of current to be supplied to thetemperature generator 262 on the basis of the difference temperatureinformation calculated by the work progress status determining unit 106,thereby controlling the temperature of the temperature generator 262.According to this configuration, the work temperature of the work targetregion can be controlled while causing the work supporting apparatus 250and the work equipment 260 to cooperate with each other. Therefore, itis possible to carry out the work more efficiently. Further, accordingto this configuration, the work against the work target region isimplemented in the vicinity of the proper temperature. Therefore, it ispossible to improve accuracy of the work.

Further, according to the present embodiment, an image regardingtemperature control information against the work equipment 260 isdisplayed on the display 107. According to this configuration, theworker 190 is also allowed to know a status of the work equipment 260 inaddition to the work progress status. Therefore, it is possible toobtain more detailed information regarding the work.

Fourth Embodiment

Next, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Inthe present embodiment, a work supporting system in which a worksupporting apparatus is wirelessly connected to work equipment will bedescribed.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram showing one example of a configuration of awork supporting system according to the fourth embodiment of the presentinvention. As shown in FIG. 9, a work supporting system 200 includes awork supporting apparatus 350 and work equipment 360. The worksupporting apparatus 350 includes the components of the work supportingapparatus 250 shown in FIG. 8 and a first communication processor 352.The work equipment 360 includes the components of the work equipment 260shown in FIG. 8 and a second communication processor 363.

In the present embodiment, a work progress status determining unit 106is configured to output difference temperature information to the firstcommunication processor 352.

The first communication processor 352 is connected to the work progressstatus determining unit 106. Further, the first communication processor352 is an external interface for connecting the work supportingapparatus 350 to the work equipment 360, and is connected to the secondcommunication processor 363 of the work equipment 360 through a wirelessnetwork. The first communication processor 352 and the secondcommunication processor 363 are allowed to mutually transmit and receivedata through the wireless network. For example, the first communicationprocessor 352 transmits, to the second communication processor 363, thedifference temperature information outputted from the work progressstatus determining unit 106.

The second communication processor 363 is connected to the temperaturecontroller 261. Further, the second communication processor 363 is anexternal interface for connecting the work supporting apparatus 350 tothe work equipment 360, and is connected to the first communicationprocessor 352 of the work supporting apparatus 350 through the wirelessnetwork. The second communication processor 363 outputs the differencetemperature information received from the first communication processor352 to the temperature controller 261.

The temperature controller 261 executes temperature control as describedabove on the basis of the difference temperature information outputtedfrom the second communication processor 363, for example.

According to the present embodiment, the first communication processor352 is connected to the second communication processor 363 through thewireless network, and transmission and reception of various kinds ofdata such as the difference temperature information are implementedbetween the first communication processor 352 and the secondcommunication processor 363. According to this configuration, eventhough the work supporting apparatus 350 is not connected to the workequipment 360 by wiring, it is possible to implement temperature controlfor the work equipment 360 on the basis of the difference temperatureinformation. Therefore, handling of the work supporting apparatus 350and the work equipment 360 becomes easy, and this makes it possible toimplement the work easily.

OTHER EMBODIMENTS

A work to heat a work target region has been described in theembodiments described above as an example. However, the presentinvention is not limited to such a case. For example, the presentinvention can be applied to a work to cool a work target region. In thiscase, at Step S12 shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, in a case where the worktemperature of the work target region exceeds the predetermined worktemperature, that is, in a case where the work temperature of the worktarget region does not reach the predetermined work temperature(Temp_target>Temp_set), the work progress status determining unit 106determines that the work progress status is 0%, and shifts to Step S13(the determination result is “No”). On the other hand, in a case wherethe work temperature of the work target region is equal to or lower thanthe predetermined work temperature, that is, in a case where the worktemperature of the work target region reaches the predetermined worktemperature (Temp_target<Temp_set), the work progress status determiningunit 106 shifts to Step S14 (the determination result is “Yes”).

Further, in FIG. 2 and FIG. 6, when the work temperature of the worktarget region reaches the predetermined work temperature and measurementof the work time is started, a step of determining a work temperature isnot provided. However, the step of determining the work temperature maybe provided during measurement of the work time, for example. In thiscase, for example, in a case where the work temperature is reduced, thework progress status determining unit 106 may temporarily stopmeasurement of the work time, and then measure a remaining work timeafter the work temperature is recovered. According to such aconfiguration, it is possible to improve work accuracy further.

As described above, the invention made by the present inventors has beenconcretely described on the basis of the embodiments of the invention.However, it goes without saying that the present invention is notlimited to the embodiments of the invention, and can modified intovarious forms of applications without departing from the substance ofthe invention.

In this regard, the present invention is not limited to the embodimentsdescribed above, and various modifications are contained. For example,the embodiments described above have been explained in detail forexplaining the present invention clearly. The present invention is notnecessarily limited to one that includes all configurations that havebeen explained.

Further, a part of the configuration of one embodiment can be replacedby a configuration of the other embodiment. Further, a configuration ofthe other embodiment can be added to a configuration of one embodiment.Moreover, a part of the configuration of each of the embodiments can beadded to the other configuration, deleted or replaced thereby. Note thateach member illustrated in the drawings and a relative size thereof aresimplified and idealized in order to clearly explain the presentinvention, and each member may have a more complex shape onimplementation thereof.

REFERENCE SINGS LIST

101 . . . visible light camera, 102 . . . work target region extractingunit, 103 . . . far-infrared camera, 104 . . . temperature distributionimage generator, 105 . . . work target region temperature calculator,106 . . . work progress status determining unit, 107 . . . display, 120. . . head mounted display, 150 . . . work supporting apparatus, 200 . .. work supporting system, 250 . . . work supporting apparatus, 251 . . .proper temperature database, 260 . . . work equipment, 261 . . .temperature controller, 262 . . . temperature generator, 300 . . . worksupporting system, 350 . . . work supporting apparatus, 352 . . . firstcommunication processor, 360 . . . work equipment, 363 . . . secondcommunication processor

1. A work supporting apparatus, comprising: a visible light imagephotographing unit configured to photograph a visible light image ofwork equipment; a thermal image photographing unit configured tophotograph a thermal image of the work equipment; a work progress statusdetermining unit configured to determine a work progress status from thevisible light image photographed by the visible light imagephotographing unit and the thermal image photographed by the thermalimage photographing unit; and a display configured to display adetermination result of the work progress status, wherein in a casewhere the work progress status determining unit determines that a firstwork is newly started, the work progress status determining unit isconfigured to start to measure a work time for the first work.
 2. Thework supporting apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: astorage configured to store a first work time corresponding to the firstwork, the first work time being set in advance, wherein in a case wherethe measured work time of the first work reaches the first work time,the display is configured to display end notification of the first work.3. The work supporting apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a work temperature calculator configured to calculate a worktemperature of the work equipment on a basis of the visible light imageand the thermal image; a communication unit which communicates with thework equipment; and a storage configured to store first temperatureinformation corresponding to a predetermined work, the first temperatureinformation being set in advance, wherein in a case where there is adifference between the work temperature calculated by the worktemperature calculator and the first temperature information stored inthe storage, the communication unit is configured to output, to the workequipment, control information for controlling a temperature of the workequipment.
 4. The work supporting apparatus according to claim 1,wherein the work supporting apparatus is ahead mounted display that isworn on a head of a worker.
 5. A method, performed by a work supportingapparatus, comprising the steps of: photographing a visible light imageof work equipment; photographing a thermal image of the work equipment;determining a work progress status from the photographed visible lightimage and the photographed thermal image; and displaying a determinationresult of the work progress status, wherein in a case where it isdetermined that a first work is newly started, starting to measure awork time for the first work.
 6. The method according to claim 5,further comprising the steps of: storing a first work time correspondingto the first work, the first work time being set in advance, wherein ina case where the measured work time of the first work reaches the firstwork time, displaying an end notification of the first work.
 7. Themethod according to claim 5, further comprising the steps of:calculating a work temperature of the work equipment on a basis of thevisible light image and the thermal image; communicating with the workequipment; and storing first temperature information corresponding to apredetermined work, the first temperature information being set inadvance, wherein in a case where there is a difference between thecalculated work temperature and the stored first temperatureinformation, outputting, to the work equipment, control information forcontrolling a temperature of the work equipment.
 8. The method accordingto claim 5, wherein the work supporting apparatus is ahead mounteddisplay that is worn on a head of a worker.